Cañón de la Peregrina

The Cañón de la Peregrina is the ravine that opens into the Sierra Madre Oriental right behind Ciudad Victoria, inside the Altas Cumbres protected area, which since 1997 has conserved more than 30,000 hectares of mountains around the state capital. Along its floor runs a river some call the Troncones and others the San Felipe, through riverside woodland that changes as you gain height, and the way in is through the Los Troncones ecological park at the foot of the range, beyond the village of La Libertad.

The park has a family area with barbecue grills and shaded tables by the river. From there a dirt track and footpath head up the canyon, crossing the water several times. About 5.5 km in is the waterfall many people call La Playita and locals have always known as El Nacimiento: the water falls in a curtain into a pool with a sandy edge, shallow enough for small children to paddle safely. It is the most popular spot and gets crowded on long weekends and holidays. Beyond 6 or 7 km the pools are cleaner and quieter; around kilometre 8 is El Santito, the usual rest stop, and around kilometre 11 the last pools.

There the trail leaves the river and the hard part begins: about 10 km more of climbing, as the vegetation changes, up to Rancho El Molino among pines with high-mountain views. Visitors are asked to carry out all their rubbish and leave the place better than they found it.